Constant Pulse
by The Darkness Knight
Summary: Post WS, Pre Age of Ultron, he has always been a friend and now he was gone. For Steve Rogers, he tries to do everything he can to save his friend, in a world where defenses are gone, masks are removed and those he could call friends were not friends but his worst enemies. Now he fights to save him to survive in this new world. Implied Steve and Nat, Steve and Bucky friendship.


Steve watched as the sigh escaped his lips, the cold air sweeping through the busy streets of Brooklyn turned it a bright white as he looked out at the water, it had been two months, two months since he had found Bucky, two months since Bucky had been found to be an agent of HYDRA, the one enemy he thought he killed seventy years ago with the nefarious Red Skull, now it seemed like the world was too small, too much had happened with the collapse of SHIELD and he honestly didn't know what to do with himself now that things had settled down.

"I figured you'd be here, Rogers," Natasha's husky voice echoed in the sables of darkness. She leaned against the lamppost, keeping her grayish- blue eyes locked on his sullen face. A twist of a smirk played on her full lips, and she sauntered closer to him. Heeled boots clicked on the icy ground, and fiery scarlet curls twirled in the wind. She could sense his distress. "You're still not letting go of him...I told you not to pull this thread...Things needed to remain in the dark, Steve."

"I can't let this one go Natasha, you didn't see the pain in his face when we were fighting on that bridge. He was trying to remember something I could see it, he recognized my face. I know I can help him if I see him again." Steve walked over and looked at her with a determined drive on his chiseled face.

Natasha shook her head with disdain shadowing over her face; she kept her distance from him and folded her arms securely over her chest. Releasing a frustrated breath, she dared herself to meet his passive deep, and stern blue eyes. "Whatever you think you saw was ghost. He's not James Barnes...He's a weapon...a puppet for HYDRA. The Winter Soldier is a merciless killer, and if you get close in his range ...He will kill you, Steve." She tore her eyes away, and looked at the amber lights on the bridge across from them.

"Natasha, even if there is somewhere in that killer that is my friend, I will do everything I can to bring it out. I can't give up on him because he has never given up on me ever in my life."

"Then you are a fool, Rogers." Natasha shot back, her voice was hardened, and the scar from the bullet that entered her abdomen in another lifetime seared with burning sting- remorse and pain.

Clenching her jaw, she took a step back from him, avoiding his intense stare. "The Winter Soldier is someone to forget about, he haunts you and makes you feel weak when you meet his dead blue eyes. If he was Barnes, then remember your friend as he was and leave this ghost alone, because you will end up getting hurt again..."

"No, no I will find him, and I will help him come back from this." Steve growled "And if I have to do this alone, then I will."

Natasha watched him move away from the ledge, in fervent strides. Her heart drummed in her chest; prompting her to chase after him. And she did. Placing her gloved hand on the sleeve of his winter jacket.

"You're don't alone in this, Steve." she intoned, firmly, gazing deeply in his crystal blue eyes. "We're partners, remember? Whatever you decide I will always have your back." she gave him a tender smile, not too loving, just enough to ease the tension pulsing in his veins.

Feeling relief brush over his heart, Steve curved his lips into a smile, and then nodded at her, "We're going after him. He saved my life more than I can count, I owe him enough to save him from HYDRA."

She nodded in agreement, moving a folder from the interior of her leather jacket. "My sources recovered these files from a hidden camera Fury had planted in the Captain America exhibit." She watched him furrow his eyebrows, and pulled out a photo of a disheveled looking man standing in front of the Bucky Barnes monument. Dressed in ratty clothing, and baseball cap hiding his shoulder- length brown locks. His eyes were lost, piercing and wintry blue. It was him. James Barnes.

"I can't confirm that this is your friend, but the resemblance is uncanny." she said lowly, keeping her voice in a hushed tone. "This was taken three days before...He seems to spend a lot of time staring at your Howling Commando exhibit. He is looking for something..."

"That's Bucky." He said, leaning his towering frame against the lamp post. His intent blue eyes narrowed as he stared long and hard at the photograph clutched in her hand. Guilt swelled inside of him. "Someone in his position would want to find answers, answers I know Hydra would never give to him."

Natasha snapped her eyes to the snowy ground, sighing, deeply, "If Barnes wants answers he'll come looking for you, Steve. I know from different circumstances from my past experiences dealing with relapse of memory lost always triggers something dangerous." she warned before adding, " He won't think of you as a friend, but a target. And he will try to finish the mission he already started."

She swallowed down a knot of dread, feeling it stick against the bones of her ribs, a heaviness pulled against her heart. "He was trained to show no emotion…no humanity and he will destroy you, Rogers. That's what they make their puppets do...He might pretend to be your best friend and pull your heart strings, but if you don't learn to keep both eyes open, he will strike you down."

"Then I don't know what I'll do Natasha." He replied, keeping his torrent mind focused, sure he thought about it, what would happen if Bucky didn't want to be saved, but he knew deep down his blood brother probably would want him to free him from the weaves of HYDRA's mindless programming.

Steve owed it to his best friend to save him from the debased minds of HYDRA, just like he did seventy years before Bucky fell off Zola's train and plummeted into the icy depths.

Natasha searched deeply into his blue eyes, and she found weakness and defeat. It flaunted his resilient heart. He was vulnerable and somehow becoming lure into a web of torment. He was fading, the defiant and noble man she admired as a partner and protector was now vanishing into darkness of a grief. She restrained her heart from opening up to him. Instead of walking away, she placed her hand steady on his chest, feeling the thumping of his heartbeat against her fingers.

"Do you care for him enough to risk everything, Steve?" she inquired, training her eyes on the falling snow around them.

Steve watched as the sigh escaped his lips, the cold air sweeping through the busy streets of Brooklyn turned it a bright white as he looked out at the water, it had been two months; two months since he had found the vacant shell of his friend Bucky Barnes.

Two months since Bucky had been found to be an agent of HYDRA, the one enemy he thought he killed seventy years ago with the nefarious Red Skull.

Now, it seemed like the world was too small, too much had happened with the collapse of SHIELD and he honestly didn't know what to do with himself now that things had settled down.

"I figured you'd be here, Rogers," Natasha's husky voice echoed in the sables of darkness. She leaned against the lamppost, keeping her grayish- blue eyes locked on his sullen face. A twist of a smirk played on her full lips, and she sauntered closer to him. Heeled boots clicked on the icy ground, and fiery scarlet curls twirled in the wind. She could sense his distress. "You're still not letting go of him...I told you not to pull this thread...Things needed to remain in the dark, Steve."

"I can't let this one go Natasha, you didn't see the pain in his face when we were fighting on that bridge. He was trying to remember something I could see it, he recognized my face. I know I can help him if I see him again." Steve walked over and looked at her with a determined drive on his chiseled face.

Natasha shook her head with disdain shadowing over her face; she kept her distance from him and folded her arms securely over her chest. Releasing a frustrated breath, she dared herself to meet his passive deep, and stern blue eyes. "Whatever you think you saw was ghost. He's not James Barnes...He's a weapon...a puppet for HYDRA. The Winter Soldier is a merciless killer, and if you get close in his range ...He will kill you, Steve." She tore her eyes away, and looked at the amber lights on the bridge across from them.

"Natasha, even if there is somewhere in that killer that is my friend, I will do everything I can to bring it out. I can't give up on him because he has never given up on me ever in my life."

"Then you are a fool, Rogers." Natasha shot back, her voice was hardened, and the scar from the bullet that entered her abdomen in another lifetime seared with burning sting- remorse and pain.

Clenching her jaw, she took a step back from him, avoiding his intense stare. "He Winter Soldier is someone to forget about, he haunts you and makes you feel weak when you meet his dead blue eyes. If he was Barnes, then remember your friend as he was and leave this ghost alone, because you will end up getting hurt again..."

"No, no I will find him, and I will help him come back from this." Steve growled "And if I have to do this alone, then I will."

Natasha watched him move away from the ledge, in fervent strides. Her heart drummed in her chest; prompting her to chase after him. And she did. Placing her gloved hand on the sleeve of his winter jacket.

"You're don't alone in this, Steve." she intoned, firmly, gazing deeply in his crystal blue eyes. "We're partners, remember? Whatever you decide I will always have your back." she gave him a tender smile, not too loving, just enough to ease the tension pulsing in his veins.

Feeling relief brush over his heart, Steve curved his lips into a smile, and then nodded at her, "We're going after him. He saved my life more than I can count, I owe him enough to save him from HYDRA.

She nodded in agreement, moving a folder from the interior of her leather jacket. "My sources recovered these files from a hidden camera Fury had planted in the Captain America exhibit." She watched him furrow his eyebrows, and pulled out a photo of a disheveled looking man standing in front of the Bucky Barnes monument. Dressed in ratty clothing, and baseball cap hiding his shoulder- length brown locks. His eyes were lost, piercing and wintry blue. It was him. James Barnes.

"I can't confirm that this is your friend, but the resemblance is uncanny." she said lowly, keeping her voice in a hushed tone. "This was taken three days before...He seems to spend a lot of time staring at your Howling Commando exhibit. He is looking for something..."

"That's Bucky." He said, leaning his towering frame against the lamp post. His intent blue eyes narrowed as he stared long and hard at the photograph clutched in her hand. Guilt swelled inside of him. "Someone in his position would want to find answers, answers I know Hydra would never give to him."

Natasha snapped her eyes to the snowy ground, sighing, deeply, "If Barnes wants answers he'll come looking for you, Steve. I know from different circumstances from my past experiences dealing with relapse of memory lost always triggers something dangerous." she warned before adding, " He won't think of you as a friend, but a target. And he will try to finish the mission he already started."

She swallowed down a knot of dread, feeling it stick against the bones of her ribs, a heaviness pulled against her heart. "He was trained to show no emotion...no humanity and he will destroy you, Rogers. That's what they make their puppets do...He might pretend to be your best friend and pull your heart strings, but if you don't learn to keep both eyes open, he will strike you down."

"Steve," Natasha narrowed her eyes, coldly to the ground. She took a moment to recollect the haunting images of her dark and disturbing past in the Red Room.

The countless injections, abuse and training that her raw to the bone. She knew the risks when it came to daring death in the face, but this was different...Steve was crossing the line...Entering a place that was unwelcoming to good men. He would become corrupted by the deceit and horrors that will await for him if he made that choice of bringing his friend back from the dead. Stiffening her lips, she recoiled backwards, and released a heated breath. "What if Barnes doesn't want to be saved?" she asked, her heart froze in the moment those words escaped from her lips.

"Then I don't know what I'll do Natasha." He replied, keeping his torrent mind focused, sure he thought about it, what would happen if Bucky didn't want to be saved, but he knew deep down his blood brother probably would want him to free him from the weaves of HYDRA's mindless programming.

Steve owed it to his best friend to save him from the debased minds of HYDRA, just like he did seventy years before Bucky fell off Zola's train and plummeted into the icy depths.

Natasha searched deeply into his blue eyes, and she found weakness and defeat. It flaunted his resilient heart. He was vulnerable and somehow becoming lure into a web of torment.

He was fading, the defiant and noble man she admired as a partner and vigilant protector was now vanishing into darkness of a grief. She restrained her heart from opening up to him. Instead of walking away, she placed her hand steady on his chest, feeling the thumping of his heartbeat against her fingers.

"Do you care for him enough to risk everything, Steve?" she inquired, training her blue eyes on the falling snow around them.

"Yes, yes I'm willing to risk everything for Bucky," Steve replied sternly as he slipped his hands in his pockets.

"You'll find him at these coordinates." She removed a slip of paper and stuffed it into the pocket of his jacket. "It's HYDRA safe house."

He nodded and looked tenderly at her. She wanted to roll her eyes. "You don't have to leave you know. I could use the back up."

"This is not my fight, Steve," Natasha rebuffed, caressing his chiseled skin with a slight brush of her fingers, she felt his powerful jaw flex in its wake. "You and I both know, that this is a mission that you have to do alone." she whispered in a hoarser tone. She took a deep breath, regulating her heartbeat and stared into his crystal blue eyes. She stared at the pain and anger. "If you need backup...You know that I will not be far..."

"Hey, your help or at least support is all I ask for." Steve smiled fondly, leaned in and gently pressed his soft lips over the frozen skin of her cheek.

Feeling her heart skip a beat, she framed her hands over his face, pulling his head down and crushed a chilled kiss over his lips, just enough to feel the warmth melt the iciness of the biting winter air. She broke away, looking up at him "Be careful, Steve." She started to walk away, and then slowly turned to look back at him. "Let him do the talking for once...He never gets to talk."

He nodded. "Thanks Nat. I'll see you at Stark's party next weekend."

Natasha shrugged, "Maybe," she replied with a smirk, and then walked away.

He smiled and turned to the parking lot, his hand dipping into the pocket and pulled the piece of paper, looking over the location. "Hang in there, Bucky."


End file.
